“In my opinion, these dramas have empowered women,” Samina Ahmad on saas-bahu dramas

The veteran 'Suno Chanda' actor pushes back against the bias around family-centric dramas.

Actress Samina Ahmad recently appeared on Bushra Ansari’s daughter, Nariman Ansari’s show, BeyGhum Begums, where she spoke about the realities and benefits of saas-bahu dramas that she has seen manifest in the industry.

Samina Ahmad, a veteran who has been part of the Pakistani film industry since the 60s has played diverse characters throughout her career. From the role of the downtrodden daughter-in-law in Waris to the role of the matriarchal mother-in-law in Sangat, she has played a variety of archetypes of female characters depicted on-screen. 

This, along with her knowledge of the industry since its early days, makes her comments in favour of saas-bahu dramas - a normally vilified genre in the industry - all the more intriguing.

“Previously, I used to be the only woman on set,” she said. “Now…there are girls in the wardrobe department. They are producers, directors, and co-actors. Your cast has a majority of women.”

She explained how saas-bahu dramas and their woman-centric focus on real issues have appealed to audiences and brought more women into the industry, despite the backlash. 

“‘What kind of stupid saas-bahu shows these are.’” she echoed the repeated criticism. “This criticism is not from the viewers, because the audience watches our dramas. The people within our industry say that these dramas…offer nothing. It is also mostly men who criticise them and they do not even watch dramas. But in my opinion, these dramas have empowered women.”

She went on to point out that the issues shown in these dramas are all based on real struggles women face everyday. “Whatever stories we tell are real stories,” she said. “Don’t women face cruelty? Don’t they stand up for themselves? All these stories are real.”

Despite how common it is to criticise saas-bahu dramas and their seemingly repetitive portrayal of household issues, Samina Ahmad’s insider knowledge of Pakistan’s growing media industry shows the validating and empowering aspects of these dramas that we rarely consider.